Taylor Swift has been going through a change since the popular crossover album “Red” moved her to the Billboard pop charts. She once stated that the felt like she had to pick a lane, and the new album is confirmation of the lane she chose.

On “1989” Taylor does something new by revisiting something old. The sounds of the 80’s are definitely here on tracks like “Welcome to New York” and “How You Get the Girl.” She manages to stir up the synthetic sounds of the 80’s as she abandons her signature guitar on most of the album.

The tracks were produced by heavy hitter Max Martin, and he appears to be a perfect fit for the direction that Swift was headed in. Most critics would agree that she could have continued down the same path that the “Red” album lured fans on. She already had a successful formula. All she had to do was duplicate this. It was in iconic 80’s pop star fashion that she changed directions and tried something new.

Taylor Swift strikes while the iron is hot. The “Shake It Off” single rules the radio. The “1989” album has more catchy songs designed for heavy rotation on radio. I picked up the album for Marnie Bennett and can’t wait until she hears “Out of the Woods”.